How Capsule Hotels Became a Global Trend

What was once a respite for tipsy Japanese businessmen is now a popular accommodation option for travelers all around Asia—and Paris may be next.

First introduced in Osaka in the late 1970s, capsule hotels were conceived as a solution to a growing problem in Japan’s centers of commerce. The “salarymen”—white-collar workers who spent their days toiling in the office and their nights drinking in izakayas—needed a place to pass the hours between and buy a clean shirt before beginning the cycle anew each day. For the same price as a lengthy train ride to their homes in the outskirts, they could instead slide their weary bodies into a personal pod, complete with TV and alarm clock, within minutes of calling it a night. It was hardly glamorous, but it worked.

Decades later, capsule hotels (also know as pod hotels) are enjoying a new wave of popularity, thanks to openings in Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and even on the resort island of Bali.

Instead of the bare-bones aesthetic and a sleep-it-off-then-get-out vibe as found in classic capsule hotels, new chains are embracing interior design that appeals to digitally connected and style-savvy travelers from around the world. Take, for example, Kyoto’s Nine Hours, with a sleek, black-and-white interior one would expect to see in an intergalactic spaceship rather than a hotel in the center of a city known for its temples and natural beauty. Kuala Lumpur’s Capsule by Container Hotel is just as fresh, seemingly furnished by ideas plucked from an "industrial chic" Pinterest board. Rio de Janeiro’s Capacete, the first capsule hotel in South America, is the product of a non-profit art space with a mission to attract "artists and thinkers” to explore accommodation alternative to the traditional hotel room. Even Tokyo isn't immune to the trend: the Nadeshiko, a females-only capsule hotel that debuted this spring in Shibuya brings the traditionally male-only accommodation option to women (with the very sweet bonus of complimentary kimono use). All in all, capsules are filling a gap in the hospitality industry: with more people traveling more often, these honeycomb hotels tick all the boxes for location, affordability, and style without compromising too much on privacy.

Capsule hotels have naturally also found homes at international airports. U.K. chain Yotel operates locations at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick Airports as well as Amsterdam-Schiphol and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Japan’s slick First Cabin chain, with room sizes dubbed 'First Class' and 'Business Class,' opened in Osaka in 2008, expanded to Tokyo-Haneda Airport in 2012, and now boasts eight locations around the country. Even Nội Bài International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam has jumped on the trend, debuting 'SleepPods' within the terminal, outfitted with free WiFi, snacks, and a complimentary guidebook to Vietnam.

Next on the map for capsule hotels is Europe, and specifically Paris. Already architecture firm MenoMenoPiu has submitted a concept called 'EauBERGE,' inspired by the shapes of the bookseller huts along the Seine riverfront. The City of Light recorded a whopping 22.4 million hotel arrivals in 2014. Surely there's room for a trial of a little hotel trend from Japan?